The 11-member Air Resources Board is part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Among its roles is creating and enforcing air pollution control rules, and California has some of the strictest in the nation.

The ceremony took place in the Byron Sher Auditorium in Sacramento. Gioia, 55, had several members of his staff on hand.

Gioia serves on the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District board. He has urged stricter regulations on Chevron’s Richmond refinery after a major fire on Aug. 6 sent thousands to area hospitals.